Conference Details

Basic Information

OPOP Toronto is geared towards engaging students in Toronto about issues relating to the polar regions, as well as how they can act, participate, and influence the work done today in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Schedule

Speakers

Brad Bass: PhD, Nobel Prize Winner

Dr. Bass is a researcher at the University of Toronto and Environment Canada. In 2007 he co-received the Nobel Prize for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Dr. Bass involves both high school and university students in designing new ecological technologies, new simulations for research and on several science-based environmental initiatives. Dr. Bass is well-known in the green roof and wall industry for his work on simulating building energy consumption, biodiversity on green roofs and workshops for elementary school students. He has also worked as a government in-house Green Roof expert and is often called upon to advise on green roof installations. Dr. Bass' research interests include effects of urbanization on environment, green infrastructure, modelling with fuzzy cognitive maps, ecological and socio-economic simulation with emergent computing, and community energy systems planning. Dr. Bass plans to speak about emerging health issues related to phosphorous climate change, and hazardous cyanobacteria.

​Maya is a seventeen year old student who will begin undergraduate studies at Harvard in 2017. Currently on a gap year, Maya recently finished work on a team at the University of Toronto developing a self-driving wheelchair to assist people with physical disabilities. Maya is a Studio Y Fellow at the MaRS Discovery District and is working as an assistant researcher on a cosmology project at the Perimeter Institute.

Her early scientific work ranged from prototyping an “intelligent” antibiotic to discovering new properties of potential Alzheimer’s drugs. More recently, alongside her collaborators at the University of Toronto, she led a project that uncovered a new principle of Newtonian physics. She has also been involved in quantum cryptography work at the Institute for Quantum Computing and writing software to track near-Earth asteroids for the Harvard-Smithsonian.

Maya has traveled to the Arctic to produce an open source documentary about climate change featuring Margaret Atwood astronaut Chris Hadfield, explorer Wade Davis and Nobel Laureate Brad Bass, which was recently awarded the international Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. As a passionate advocate of girls in STEM, she has also served as the President of a national non-profit which provides science outreach to over 120,000 youths across Canada.

For her work, she has twice won the Grand Platinum prize at Canada’s national science fair, represented Canada at the IntelInternational Science Fair, and taken honours at the Google International Science Fair. She was also named one of Canada’s “Top 20 Under 20”, the national Brescia Emerging Female Leader of the Year, Ontario’s Junior Citizen of the Year, and was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee medal.

Brenna Owen: Youth Arctic Coalition Founder

I am a climate justice-radio-making settler in Toronto, located on Anishinaabe, Mississauga and Haudenosaunee Dish With One Spoon territory. I got my start in community media at CFRC 101.9fm, the campus and community radio station in Kingston, Ontario, where I studied politics and history at Queen's. I have travelled to international climate conferences with the Canadian Youth Delegation, advocating for ambitious, justice-based climate action and accountability. In 2016, I co-founded TheBuilt Environment, a podcast exploring community resistance to violence and extractive industry on Turtle Island (Canada). I am an alumna of the SOI Arctic Expedition in 2008—a formative experience that gave rise to many of the questions that continue to drive me as an activist and aspiring journalist. ​

Paul Sokoloff: Botanist at the Canadian Museum of Nature, Explorer

Paul Sokoloff is a botanist at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, due to his roving family he counts himself a previous resident of Indonesia, Vietnam, northern B.C., central Alberta, and rural Nova Scotia. Perhaps inspired by this nomadic upbringing, or perhaps primed by many years spent gallivanting around Alberta with Scouts Canada, Paul has sought adventure in work and life.

As a museum graduate student, Paul has had his clothes accidentally stolen by a fisherman in southern Labrador, and managed to flip a canoe full of fossil samples in New Brunswick’s Jacquet River. After a trip to Victoria Island in Canada’s Western Arctic, Paul seeks any opportunity he can to get back, and is now a veteran of six Arctic expeditions.​

Whitney Lackenbauer: Professor at St. Jerome’s University

​Whitney is a professor at St. Jerome’s University (University of Waterloo) who specializes in Arctic sovereignty and security issues, Aboriginal-state relations, circumpolar history, and modern Canadian military, diplomatic and political history. He has written or co-written 24 publications on Canadian history, and is also an honorary lieutenant of the 1st Canadian Rangers. He spends a lot of his time in the North.

Samantha McBeth

Sam is a native of the Ottawa Valley and is one of the current members of the Northern Engagement and Outreach Team for Parks Canada. Strangely in love with the ocean for such a landlocked Québécois girl, when she can’t get herself to one of Canada’s three coasts, she’s sharing her experiences and passion for Canada’s incredible wildlife as well as its cultural and natural heritage. As an environmental biologist trained at UQAM and Bamfield Marine Science Centre, she’s a science communicator and educator by trade and is experienced using varied media to engage folks young and old in protecting and enjoying nature. She is a strong believer that understanding and experiencing the environment is key to protecting it, and uses her multidisciplinary experiences to further that goal. She loves working where science, education, social justice and policy intermingle. She hopes that her work as an Youth conservation ambassador will spark passion and understanding. Building the next generation of stewards will be a labour of hope, brought forth by discussion and sharing.

Robert Comeau

Robert is an Inuk pursuing an undergraduate degree in History and Political Science at Carleton University. He is engaged in the community through a local men's group as well as being a founding member of Qajakut (Iqaluit Qajaq Society). Robert gained experience in youth advocacy with the Youth Arctic Coalition ensuring space for young Inuit to be present and participating in international dialogue. In great part thanks to Students On Ice, Robert has developed has an advocate of Inuit and Inuit Nunangaat at environmental conferences. Recently, Robert has been involved in expedition cruises through Inuit Nunangaat with Adventure Canada providing cultural interpretation and general expedition support. In his much relished time at home in Iqaluit, Robert likes to go fishing with family and enjoying time out on the water or land.